Guterres threatens to include Israel in the UN "shame list"

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, issued a stern warning to Israel following credible reports indicating that its armed and security forces committed sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.

The warning came in an official letter dated August 11 and addressed to the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, where Guterres expressed "grave concern" over information documented by the United Nations regarding sexual violations in several prisons, detention centers, and an Israeli military base.

Guterres clarified in the letter that Israel's repeated refusal to allow UN monitors access to detention sites has complicated the task of verifying the patterns and methodologies used in these violations, but he noted that the UN has gathered enough testimonies to identify the existence of "serious concerns" regarding the systematic commission of sexual violations.

Based on this information, the Secretary-General placed the Israeli forces under "UN monitoring" in preparation for the possibility of their official inclusion in the upcoming annual UN report on sexual violence in conflicts.

Guterres urged the Israeli government to take immediate steps to stop all forms of sexual violence, including issuing clear orders prohibiting it, opening fair investigations into all credible allegations, as well as developing and implementing a specific action plan within a timeframe to prevent the recurrence of these violations and ensure accountability.

For his part, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, denied the accuracy of what was stated in the letter, describing the allegations as "baseless and relying on biased sources," according to a post he made on the platform "X".

Danon considered that the UN should focus on the "war crimes committed by Hamas" and demand the immediate release of hostages, adding that Israel "will continue to defend its citizens in accordance with international law".

In this context, the U.S. State Department urged the Israeli government to conduct a serious investigation into the allegations of sexual assaults, emphasizing the need to respect human rights and not tolerate any form of sexual violence, especially in conflict contexts.

The letter comes days before the release of the UN's annual report on sexual violence related to conflicts, a sensitive report that could lead to Israel being included in what is known as the UN "shame list," which includes countries and armed groups that commit documented sexual violations in their areas or by their forces.

Including any country in this list carries diplomatic and legal consequences that may affect its international relations, its standing in the international community, and its obligations under international humanitarian law.